The Times That Tried Our Souls
by AllStarHarbor
Summary: Battling the demons of the love she has for her best friend Danny Walker, Grace McCawley must find a way to keep the ones she loves without breaking her own heart along the way. Can war bring her the love of her life or destroy everything she has.


"Grace!"

Grace sighed as she didn't expect such a loud wake up call. All she wanted to do was sleep, training to be a Navy Nurse was hard going and the lack of sleep had finally caught up with her. "I'm awake." She muttered to herself, eyes closed but it was barely above a whisper.

"GRACE MCCAWLEY! GET OUT OF YOUR BED RIGHT THIS MINUTE!"

She knew that voice. Barbara.

Grace knew that strong Boston accent and without a doubt anyone could hear it a mile off. Barbara was the mother hen of the group and if she wanted something done, it would be done no question about it.

"ALRIGHT! I'm up." Grace shouted back, peeling the covers off her. She hated mornings and never was a morning person. The rest of the girls would always find Grace to be the last one ready or with shifts off, sleeping through into mid-morning.

"Gracie! Why aren't you ready yet? New York is waiting for us and we won't get there unless you're ready. Now hurry!" Betty's soft voice stated.

Betty Bayer was Grace's best friend and the two had met early 1940, the day that the Navy was recruiting for nurses. California brought the two together, where both women were fulfilling their dreams of joining the Navy and becoming nurses. Now California was taking them on a different journey, to New York where they will find of where they will be posted.

Grace came out of the bathroom, dressed but with her hair still in pins. As much as she loved her new life in the Nursing Corps, this was the day she had been dreading for weeks.

Her brother, Rafe McCawley and their best friend Danny Walker had joined the Army as Pilots and were already ahead in New York, starting on the basics of becoming a US Army Pilot. But they had no idea that Grace had joined the Navy and would be soon joining them in New York in a matter of hours.

"Gracie what's the matter?" Betty asked as Grace paced the room. The thought of her brother was making her stomach knot with nerves. Grace had never been one to deceit and she had so many opportunities to tell Rafe in her letters but she could never find the right words.

Betty knew that Grace hadn't told Rafe about joining the Navy and that this day was such a difficult day for her but she couldn't help but let her mind wander at the fact that there was something else on Grace's mind. "Grace…"

"I don't know if I can do this Betty." Grace stated, her voice beginning to shake.

"What do you mean you 'can't do this?' can't do what?"

She looked up at Betty, tears sparkling in her eyes. "I want to stay here, in California. I can't go to New York and face him."

Betty laughed slightly. "Rafe isn't going to be mad Grace. Sure it will be weird for him at first because it's something unexpected but he won't be angry at you."

"I'm not talking about Rafe…"

Danny Walker. The reason why Grace was in such turmoil about going to New York.

Suddenly her breaths began to become very short and she was finding it very difficult to breathe. The faces of Danny and Rafe were floating around her head and it was only making it harder for Grace to breathe. It was even becoming impossible for her to see because her eyes had filled up with tears and Grace felt like she was crumbling into pieces.

"Please don't cry Gracie!" Betty shrieked as she threw her arms around Grace's shoulders. Betty couldn't help but think to herself that she was right about there being something else on Grace's mind.

Grace managed to fight through her hysterical crying and speak. "I'm sorry Betty, it's silly really but I just can't get Danny off my mind."

Betty was taken aback by the confession because Grace had always referred to Danny as her best friend and it never occurred to Betty that there could have been something more going on. "Is there something going on between the two of you?"

"You could say there was…" Grace's voice trailed off and she stood up to re-powder her face that had been stained with tears. "Before he went off to New York I developed feelings for him and him for me. I'd never felt that way about him before, growing up but I guess that's because we were kids back then. It's funny really because when I look at him I can see us getting married and maybe someday starting a family and growing old together. But then Rafe always manages to get in the middle of my thoughts and my feelings for Danny always seem wrong."

"But why would Rafe be getting in the way of you and Danny?" Betty asked very confusedly.

"Won't he think it's weird? I mean we're like three peas in a pod, best friends and he's always thought of me and Danny as brother and sister."

Betty smiled before getting up and standing behind Grace at the vanity table. She shook her head and started to pull the pins out of Grace's hair. "It will only be weird if you make it that way Grace. Obviously you haven't spoken to Rafe about this so you don't know what he's thinkin' yet, you need to sit down and talk about it."

Grace caught Betty's eye in the mirror and smiled. She couldn't ask for such a greater friend than Betty Bayer and thanked the Lord that Betty was brought into her life.

"Now dry those eyes toots because we have a train to New York to catch!"

She'd asked herself so many times, _why Danny? _

Maybe it was his smile or his dark, chocolate brown eyes. Or maybe it was the fact that he was himself with Grace and wasn't trying to be something he wasn't.

The train journey gave Grace the time she needed to think everything out and plan what she was going to say once she reached New York. She closed her eyes and had to battle the image of Danny from staying in her mind because he was making this harder for her to figure out. But yet she couldn't stop her mind from wondering if Danny had met somebody in New York and that he didn't have feelings for her anymore.

She pictured a sand timer sat in front of her and with every grain of sand that fell, she felt as though it was the only time she had left in the world.

Once the last grain of sand had fallen, that was it. Grace had to face the demons of her love for Danny and more importantly, her brother Rafe.

She had no idea that the train had reached its destination and when she felt a sudden jolt, her eyes shot open. Betty was picking her own luggage up and talking to Barbara. "I can't believe we are finally here!"

The reality had set in for Grace and she knew that her time had run out. She could feel the hairs on the back of neck stand up and goose pimples had covered her body.

"Gracie… Are you ok? You've gone a little white"

Snapping out of her daze she looked up at Betty and Barbara who had concerned looks on their faces. "Yeah, if you consider the pit of your stomach to be knotted with nerves ok…"

Betty looked at Barbara and then back to a nervous Grace and smiled. "Honey, everything will be just fine. You'll see, he won't even be mad at the fact that you joined the Navy. He will be just so happy to see _you." _

"And listen toots… you can always cheer yourself up with a flyboy if he's angry." Barbara added with a grin.

Grace looked up and smiled. "I've got to deal with flyboys first! After Rafe, I'll be glad to see the back of them." She laughed a little before standing up and picking her suitcase up.

The three friends stepped off the train and into the open air of New York, a place that will hopefully bring a change. And for the better.


End file.
